


Royal Panther, Caged Tiger

by Akagauro_Neko



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Bondage, Dubious Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Prince Aomine Daiki, Recovery, Sexual Slavery, Slave Kagami Taiga, Slavery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-04-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:42:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22778896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akagauro_Neko/pseuds/Akagauro_Neko
Summary: Daiki is the Royal Prince and Heir to the throne, bored of every day being the same. He wants something to distract himself with. An interesting prisoner is brought before his father and he jumps at the chances to make this Red haired, Wild looking man his new play thing.I suck at summarys.
Relationships: Aomine Daiki/Kagami Taiga
Comments: 48
Kudos: 143





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> AHHHH I finally did it! I finally posted my first fanfiction! 
> 
> Erm Hi everyone, I have eventually gathered the courage to post my first ever fanfiction. I hope you all enjoy reading it.
> 
> If you enjoy please leave Kudos, I would also appreciate any feed back on my writing.
> 
> Thank you

A low sigh left tanned lips as the young Prince had to hold back a yawn. Prince Daiki of Touoo was currently sitting beside his father the King within the large throne room. He was beyond bored, he had been sat here for hours listening to the whiney nobles complain about anything and everything. It was his duty as the heir of the kingdom to be beside his father during any royal duties. At this point he would rather be on the battle field fighting off an invasion. At this current moment the King was taking council with the nobility, most were reporting the affairs of what was going on with in the capital and the outer lying villages. 

Just as the Prince was about ready to slit his own throat to escape this hell, a loud commotion coming from out side the large wooden doors of the throne room disturbed the old noble who was addressing the King. A barrage of yelling and clattering was followed by the doors being flung open, Daiki instantly straightened in his seat as he watched as at least ten of the Royal guards marched in to the room. All the noblemen and women instantly scatter to the edges of the throne room, every pair of eyes were solely focused on the guards. 

Dark blue eyes widen as his gaze falls upon a flash of red that is in the middle of the soldiers, the Prince leans forward in his seat and notices that the guards are dragging a bound man with filthy red hair. The man looks fairly young, probably about the same age as himself, and is only wearing a pair of tattered pants. His arms are shackled behind his board back and a length of thick chain connects them to the cuffs around his bare ankles. A rough piece of rope is tied around the prisoners neck and is being used to pull him along. 

The prisoner is pulled so that he is directly in front of the King, and a brutal kick to the backs of his legs force him to his knees. The man’s gaze sticks firmly to the floor but Daiki manages to catch a glimpse of the man’s shockingly handsome face, even covered in muck. The Prince instantly feels his interest peak.

Wakamatsu the Captain the royal guard, steps forward in front of the prisoner and addresses the king. “Sire the thief and murderer know as the Red Tiger has been captured" He gives the man a rough kick in the stomach making him double over and groan in pain. Daiki gives the man a glance then looks to his father waiting for him to speak. 

“So this is the notorious Red Tiger who has been terrorising our countryside for the last few months" The entire court stares at the bound man who just keeps his head bowed and shoulders slumped. Daiki knew that look all to well. The look of resignation to death, he had seen that look plenty of time on the battle field as well as in this very room. 

Wakamatsu spoke again “His crimes are as follows your majesty, theft of food, theft of livestock, murder of town folk, murder of royal soldiers, injuring royal soldiers and resisting apprehension. The penalty for such crimes is 50 lashes, 12 days in the dungeon in the hands of the dungeon master followed by death by hanging” 

Daiki flinches at the announcement of the penalty and sees the man do the same as his slumped shoulders visually tense as the captain finished speaking. The Prince feels a strange tightening in his gut at the thought of this man facing such a brutal fate. He suddenly stands from his seat next to his father and slowly walks towards the bound prisoner and stands in front of him. The prisoner tenses at the sight of Daiki’s leather boots stopping just in front of him and warily lifts his head to look at the prince. Daiki is taken aback by the most stunning pair of red eyes, even dulled by the resignation of death they are beautiful. Before he knows it he is speaking to his father. “Father may I make a request regarding this prisoner?” 

The rest of the court and royal guard stare at him some in confusion and some in amusement. But he doesn’t take his own blue eyes of the red orbs that have captivated him. He hears his father address him. “What is your request my son?”   
Daiki turns and puts on a menacing grin, one he has falsely worn many a time. “It has been a while since I’ve had a play thing as interesting as this one. May I take his punishment into my own hands and do with him as I please” 

There is a sudden out break of noise around the royal hall, some chatter of astonishment and some of agreement. He sees his father ponder his request and also notices the look of horror on his sisters face but thankfully she remains silent. The king finally answers. “Very well my son. You may have your fun with him" The court goes silent as he smiles and bows to the king.

“Thank you father" He then turns to the guard captain. “Take this mongrel to my quarters”

Wakamatsu glares at him but bows politely. “ Yes my prince".

The red haired prisoner is unceremoniously hauled to his feet and dragged out of the hall. Daiki would love to follow and attend to his new toy but he has already pushed far enough for one day so he returns to his seat next to the king. The court quickly returns to the usual squabbling of nobles and merchants and Daiki does every everything he can to stay awake. 

Taiga is dragged through numerous stone walled corridors and is eventually lead into a grand chamber obviously suited for a royal prince. When he had heard the deep voice of the prince speak he felt a shiver run down his spine. But when he heard the change of his fate his empty stomach clenched in fear. In all honesty he would rather face the lash and dungeon than become another sadistic princes play thing but at this stage he had no chance of escape. Not that he would even try. When he had fought those soldiers for his life and ended up being knocked unconscious and woke in bonds atop a horse like a sack of grain he knew his fate would be a unpleasant one. He had spent too long fighting to survive and was tired of pain and hunger. He knew his parents would be disappointed in him for giving up after all this time but they were gone, everything he loved was gone. There was no point in continuing this poor excuse of an existence. 

As he was lead into a side room of the princes chambers his face fell. In the room was contraptions that surely belonged in the dungeon not in a royals bedroom. He swallowed a lump in his throat as the shackles binding his wrists were unlocked and then he was roughly man handled so that his wrists were crossed in front of him and then bound tightly by thick rope. His tanned skin already rubber raw stung at the sharp bite of the rope. He was then forced into the middle of the room and the rope around his wrists was attached to a chain above his head. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the chain was pulled and his arms were raised above his head and his entire body weight was lifted up so that his bare toes hardly touched the floor. He bit back a cry of pain as his arms and shoulders cracked in protest. 

He glares at the blond haired guard who hooks the chain holding him up onto a steel bar that’s only purpose was to hold the chain. The guard glares back then looks over his shoulder at three young female servants. “Clean him up and don’t forget to clear him out inside”.

Taiga closes his eyes as he feels the rags of his remaining clothes being cut from his battered body. He tries to take himself away but all the air is drawn out of his lungs as he is hit by a wave of freezing cold water. His eyes snap open in shock as he gasps for breath. One of the women is stood in front of him with a rag that she dunks into another bucket of water and she slowly approaches him. He cant help but glare at her as she starts to roughly scrub the dirt from him starting from his feet. Taiga hisses in pain as his bruises and open wounds are abused by the harsh treatment. He is startled as one of the other servants start on his back.

After a thorough 15 minutes of being scrubbed raw the oldest of the women stands in front of him holding a bucket up to her chest, this time he closes his eyes and braces for the hit of cold but it still takes his breath away. As he is gasping for breath and shivers from the cold one of the servants exit the room only too return a few moments later with an animal skin bag filled with fluid with a rough looking hose attached to it. Taiga starts to pull at his bound wrists as he panic's, he’s been through this before and he never wants to go through it again. For the first time since being brought to the castle he finds his voice to plea. “Please not that, anything but that” 

The young servant gives him an apologetic look but still approaches him from behind. Taiga struggles as she attempts to approach his rear with the hose. The oldest of the servants stands in front of him and barks. “Be still, if you struggle like this we will have to call the guards to hold you down and we both know that will be more unpleasant and painful” 

Taiga hangs his head in resignation. She was right it was embarrassing enough for these strange women to be doing this but for several of the guards to restrain him further would be even worse. He goes lax and allows his body to hang from his wrists. The woman behind him waits a moment to see if he will struggle again, but when he remains still she slowly places the hose between his ass cheeks in search of his hole. He winces when she misses and slightly tilts his hips for easier access. The old servant in front of him nods in approval. The red head clenches his jaw as he feels the hose being inserted and then groans in discomfort as the horribly familiar sensation of fluid rushing inside him from behind. He tries to keep his breathing steady but as more of the concoction fills him he starts to pant as his empty stomach cramps. Just as he is about to beg for mercy the fluid stops and he takes a deep breath in.   
Taiga expects the hose to be pulled out but after waiting for a good few minutes he looks at the servant in front of him questioningly. She gives him a sad smile and whispers “It works best if it is held inside for a little while".

He groans and scrunched his forked brow in pain. God why couldn’t they have just killed him. Eventually the hose is removed and a bucket is placed behind him to catch the fluid as it exits his body. He closes his eyes tight as he expels the horrid fluid and wishes he could just pass out now. He doesn’t open his eyes as he is cleaned up again and feels his arms starting to go numb from being bound over his head for so long. 

Finally he feels the roughness of cloth drying him off and smells the scent of lavender oil as it is rubbed over his body. He finally opens his eyes as a piece of thin silk is tied around his waist indicating the cleaning process is complete. Taiga watches as the servants clear away the buckets and cloths and clean the floor surrounding him. The old servant stands close to him and whispers. “It will be easier on you if you do not fight the prince, he will be gentler with you if you comply with his commands”. Not knowing how to respond the red head just nods once and the woman turns to leave. 

Within moments of the servants exiting the blond guard along with another tall and broad soldier enter. The chain that is holding him up is unhooked from the wall and he is slowly lowered back to the ground. Taiga tried to bear his own weight but his knees give out as the blond guard catches him and prevents him from smashing his face into the stone floor. 

“Move". Is all the guard says to him as he is brutally marched from the small side room into the princes bed chamber. Taiga glances around and is stunned by the rooms finery and decor. Blue satin lines the walls as the light from the large windows fill the room. As they come to a halt in the centre of the chamber Taiga is forced to kneel on a plush rug, each of his arms are grabbed by each man and as the rope is removed again his arms are pushed behind his back yet again and his for arms are bound tightly together making his shoulders ache at the position. The guards release their grip on him and step back the blond glares at him and growls. “The prince will be returning shortly. If you know what’s good for you, you will not move" 

Taiga just lowers his head and takes a even breath. He has already resigned himself to his fate and only hopes the old servant was telling the truth. He doesn’t want to feel any more pain. The guards scoff in disgust and leave him where he’s knelt


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who had left Kudos and lovely comments on my first chapter! I've been amazed by how well received this has been. I was given the push to get this chapter out a lot sooner than I had thought. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the second chapter and please let me know your thoughts. 
> 
> xx

The red haired prisoner wasn’t sure how long he was forced to wait but his limbs have long since gone to sleep. Just as he feels himself starting to nod off the large doors are flung open and the tanned skinned prince strides into the room. Taiga bows his head and try’s to keep his breathing level. The prince walks straight past him and is cursing up a storm. “ Fucking noble bastards, I’d hang the lot of them!" 

  
Taiga feels every muscle in his body tense in fear, even though he repeatedly told himself he would remain unfeeling he couldn’t control the dread filling him. He keeps his gaze at the floor and waits for the royal prince to take notice of him.

  
Daiki paces round his room furiously, those stupid noble bastards wanted to increase the taxes yet again for their own personal gain as well as well as hold a banquet in honour of the neighbouring kingdom Shutoku, who was planning a royal visit to strengthen their alliance. Daiki just couldn’t stand all their bitching and squabbling. He walked over to his dressing table and poured himself a glass of wine to try to calm his nerves. He hears a muffled groan from behind him and turns to see the bound red head kneeling on his Persian rug. The prince can’t help but grin, lost in his anger he had completely forgotten about his new toy. 

  
Taking another sip of his wine he slowly encircles his captive. Now that the man is clean he can see he’s truly stunning. His son kissed skin covers lean muscle build from years of hard work and labour. His hair is even more vibrant red with the under layer a dark black. The only problem is the scars. The poor bastard had obviously seen the lash more than once if his chiselled back is anything to go by and from what he can see there are healed marks from blades that have torn through his skin and possibly even an arrow or two has pierced his flesh. He certainly lives up to the name the Fierce Red Tiger of the north. After fully inspecting his play thing Daiki uses his leather boot and carefully places it under the red heads strong jaw and forces him to look up. Those stunning red eyes that remind him of the sun glance up at him. He had hoped to see some form of fight in them but the resignation from before is still there. He sighs under his breath and turns back to his wine. 

He swallows the last of the red liquid and mentally steels himself. Daiki then walks over to one of many mahogany dressers and pulls open a large draw. Inside is a number of toys and instruments meant to inflict pain and pleasure. He selects a birch cane, a leather bound riding crop and a carefully carved wooden phallus. He then walks to his large bed and places the items on top of it. He turns back to his prisoner, who is once again looking at the floor, and stands in front of him. 

“So do you have a name or should I just call you Tiger" He questions calmly. The red haired man just huffs in response. Daiki growls and grabs his crop and places it on the man’s cheek threateningly. “You will answer me when I speak to you slave!”   
Taiga glances at the crop and swallows a lump in his throat his voice coming out raspy from his dry throat and lack of use “I’m sorry master, I renounced my name many years ago, call me what you wish” 

Daiki scowls but removes the crop. “Tiger it will be then, now look at me and tell me, do you know what is going to happen?” He questions and sees the red heads shoulders slump but the man strains his neck to look at him.  
The bound man shivers but responds in dryly. “Yes Master. I know what is expected of me". Taiga just wants to get through this with as little pain as possible.

The prince looks at his toy in suspicion he had not expected this man who was known for his ferocity in battle and strength to be acting so subdued and weak. Surely this was all a ploy to get him to relax around his prisoner and then would attack. “Do I have to worry about you fighting me?”   
Taiga looks back at the floor, he didn’t have any fight left in him let alone the will to struggle. “No Master, I will not fight you" 

Daiki had heard it before and had a dagger lodged in his thigh for believing the lie. He walked behind his slave and wrapped his fingers in the soft red lock and pulled harshly forcing a groan of pain to leave the bound mans throat. “We shall see Tiger. But I will warn you if you should fight me you will feel an agony like none you have ever known" 

The red head tilts his head back as far as he can trying to relive some strain on his hair. “Please Master, I swear I wont fight. I wont, please tell me how I can serve you" Taiga begs, he cant bear anymore pain, he looks into the princes eyes trying to prove his compliance. 

The prince is slightly surprised by the bound red heads begging, even the most broken of slaves didn’t beg like that. The burning plea in those red eyes almost made him believe Tiger. Almost, he would have to put him to the test. He released his grip on those red locks and rolled his ankle feeling the straps of his dagger sheath securely around his calf. If his captive dare attempt to attack he would be ready. Looking over to the bed he sauntered to the bed side dresser and picked up a small vial of lotion and then on his way back to the red head he grabbed the wooden phallus from the end of the bed. He stands in front of Tiger and holds out the phallus. “Do you know what this is?”

Taiga's eyes widen at the carved piece of wood. Of course he knew what it was, he had suffered much larger ones than that. Not able to find his voice he tried nodding his head.

The prince gave a sadistic smile. “Good, now prove to me your obedience and ride it" He places the phallus on to its broad base so that it was pointed up wards. He took a step back and pulled over the wooden stool from his vanity desk and sat down. He gracefully crossed his legs and waited for his slave to make his move. 

The red head stared at the phallus in front of him and felt his stomach tighten. He had hoped the prince would allow him to at least use some form of oil to ease the way but unfortunately that was not the case. He just prayed he was still slightly slick from the enema he received earlier. Slowly he forced his legs to move, he managed to sit back onto the balls of his feet and use his thigh muscles to raise his upper body. He struggled to shuffle forward until he was over the top of the wooden phallus, he braved a glance up at the prince who was staring at him with an blank expression etched into his feature. Taking in a deep breath he carefully lowered himself until he could feel the tip of the toy between his cheeks and moved slightly to line it up with his unprepared hole. Just as he was about to lower himself down he heard the prince speak. “Look at me”. Taiga swallows and lifts his gaze to his master and looks him in the eyes as he clenched his jaw and forces himself downwards. The unforgiving wood breaches him and he whimpers in pain as his insides strain around the toy until he feels his rear touch the floor. He looks at the prince and waits for further orders. 

Daiki eyes widen in surprise as he watches his red haired prisoner take the phallus all the way to the base. He had almost expected the man to refuse or to beg for some form of lotion to ease the way but the red head had just followed his order and taken the harsh wooden toy inside him raw and unaided. He sees the questioning look on Tigers face and instructs “Move". The slave starts to pant in obvious pain yet forces himself upwards, his eyes widen in panic when the wooden toy is lifted off the floor as it wedges inside him. Daiki waits to see what Tiger will do and is slightly amused as he watches the bound man try again to lift himself from the toy.  
Every muscle in Taiga's bound body cries out in pain as he repeatedly tries to move the phallus. After his seventh attempt his legs give out and his slumps backwards forcing the wooden toy further inside him as his full weight lands on it. He can’t bite back the cry of agony as it dryly tears his rim. Feeling tears of pain well up in his eyes he pleadingly looks to the prince and begs. “Master I’m sorry, I can’t move anymore, please it hurts”

Some thing in Daiki's chest tightens at the pitiful voice that leaves the red heads lips. Silently he stands and walks behind his slave who bows his head and gasps for breath. He crouches down and carefully pushes Tiger forward so that his hips raise slightly. The prince takes hold of the base of the wooden toy and slowly pulls it out. The red head lets out a pained cry as it is removed and falls forward, his shoulders hit the floor as his body is racked with pained twitches. 

Daiki stares at the phallus and is shocked to see the blood that coats the varnish. He then looks down and sees a trickle of red flow down the sun kissed thighs of his slave. Out of all the prisoners and slaves he had brought to his chambers, none had forced themselves so far as to make themselves bleed. Daiki was now convinced that this red haired man was honest in his words.   
Taiga pressed his forehead into the cold stone of the floor as he gasped for breath. He could feel the warm trickle of blood run down his thighs as his hole twitched in pain. He hears the prince moving around behind him but he doesn’t have the strength to move an inch and with his arms bound as they are he is unable to do anything but lay there. He prays for a moment of rest but feels a hand on his ass. He knows what comes next. Closing his eyes tight he manages to tilt his hips slightly for better access and braces for more pain.  
The prince was inspecting the red heads wound when the sudden movement of his hips startled him, the last thing he expected was for the slave to open himself up for further penetration. Slowly the prince stands and walks over to his desk that contained a clear jug of water. He pours a small amount onto his silk face cloth and returns to the bound prisoner who had remained in his exposed position. Carefully he parted the man’s ass cheeks and gently wipes away the blood from his skin.

  
Taiga jolts in surprise at the damp cloth cleaning his rear, he was waiting for the toy or even the princes own cock to be forced inside him, not to be cleaned and so gently at that. He cant help but whisper “Master?” 

  
As he asks mumbles the single word the prince silently stands and moves again. This time he hears a door open and the taping of boots as they leave the room. Taiga’s entire body slumps as his muscles loosen, he didn’t know how long this respite would last so he tries to slow his breathing and relax slightly. It was only a few moments later that the prince returns and walks past him towards the bed when he places something upon it that clinks. Something metal, that was never a good sound. 

  
Daiki had quickly cleaned up Tigers torn hole which thankfully wasn’t too severe. When the slave had questioningly mumbled his title it made his breath catch in his throat. It was so broken and some how innocent that it made the prince halt in is plans for the convicted criminal. He had stood and walked to the entrance to his chambers to call for a servant to bring food and drink, as usual it only took the servant girl mere minutes to return with his demand. Returning to the bed chamber he places the tray upon his bed and turned to his tired slave who was now shivering, it was hard to tell if it was from cold or pain. 

“Can you sit up?” The prince asked gently. 

Taiga takes in a deep breath and tries to force his back muscles to haul himself back onto his knees but is only able to lift him an inch before he falls back onto his shoulders gasping. He pants as he manages to say. “I'm sorry Master, I cant. I don’t have the strength” He close his eyes tight awaiting some form of pain either from a whip or kick. 

Daiki instantly knows what the slave is awaiting and sighs, he gets it now. This man has been a sex slave before and has been through this. It explains why he knows what to expect and why he is trying so hard to please him. He slowly stood too the bound mans side and places one hand on his muscled chest and softly speaks “Shhh, it’s ok. I’m going to help you sit up"  
Taiga flinches at the touch but follows the princes lead and as the hand on his chest applies pressure he uses the last of his strength to lean backwards and is sat back onto his knees. He suddenly feels light headed and ends up flopping side ways into the princes arms. 

The prince just about manages to catch the dizzy slave as he looses his balance and falls into his arms. He wraps his arms around the red heads torso and carefully sits himself on the floor next to the slave and manoeuvres him so that he is no longer on his knees and is resting against his chest. The red head goes completely lax in his arms and he feels the ice cold flesh as tremors from every muscle in the man’s body makes him quiver.

Using one hand to support the large body against his chest, Daiki uses the other to tilt Tigers head back to rest on his shoulder so he can see the others face, the red heads cheeks are flushed pink and he is panting. He can tell from looking at the slaves clouded red eyes that he his barely holding on to consciousness. He gently pets the mans red locks and whispers. “shhh, Its ok. Let go”  
The red head seems to get a bit of clarity as his eyes glance up to meet his blue ones. He feels the slave take a deep breath then forces out a muffled. “Please Master, don’t hurt me” 

Daiki’s heart clenches at the broken voice. He has never felt this before, he knows he shouldn’t feel sorry for a convicted killer but something about this man just seems so innocent. “Its ok Tiger, I wont hurt you anymore, you have been so good. Get some rest". Tiger stares at him for a moment before he closes his eyes and goes completely lax


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi All!! 
> 
> Finally finished another chapter and couldnt wait so I had to post it now (2am)
> 
> Satsuki makes here first apearance. Hope you all enjoy!

The prince carefully lowers the slaves body to lay on the floor before he stands and removes the tray of food from the bed. He then approaches the unconscious slave and crouches down behind him. Carefully he slips his arms under him and lifts his surprisingly light body up. He carries him the short distance to his bed and gently places the red head down onto the plush mattress and roles him onto his side. 

Daiki instantly notices that the poor mans wrists and lower arms have turned a nasty shade of purple from the tightly bound rope, he pulls out his jewel encrusted dagger and carefully slices threw the rope, allowing the red heads arms to fall limply behind him. The mans golden tanned skin is badly chafed and bruised especially around his wrists. The prince wishes he could leave Tiger unbound but he still didn’t know if he could trust this man. But the least he can do is put him in a more comfortable position. Carefully he roles the red head onto his back and manoeuvres his arms, making sure to stretch them out to get the blood flowing, and then positions them so that his wrists are crossed over his stomach. He pulls out a silk scarf from his bed side cabinet and carefully rebinds them. 

Now that he has chance he inspects the red head even more closely, starting at the slaves legs he quickly notices how muscled his calves and thighs are. He also notices a large scar, seemingly from a sword or a axe that cut into the slaves outer left thigh. As he moves his gaze upwards he grins at the sight of the mans chiselled abdomen and chest, but once again there are a few white scars from wounds gained over the years. There is not an ounce of fat on this man and he can see just how strong he is. It is again surprising that such a large and strong person is so subdued and broken. 

The prince steps away from the bed and turns to the tray of food, there was only a handful of fresh fruit and some bread along with a pitcher of fresh water. He picked up an apple and took a large bite, enjoying the sweet tang as it touched his tongue. Just as Daiki was about to turn back to the bed he was disturbed by a knock from his door. He sighed and placed the apple back onto the tray. He glanced at the bed and was relived to see the red head was still asleep. 

Striding to the door he steeled his features ready for whoever’s was on the other side of the door. He twists the handle and slowly pulls open the large wooden door, there on the other side is the frustratingly familiar face of the blond royal guard captain Wakamatsu. The guard looks concerned and is instantly looking him over. “What is it Captain? Is there a problem?”

The guard straightens up his posture and bows his head. “No your highness, there is no problem. I was sent to make sure you are alright and are not having trouble with the prisoner”

Daiki sighs, why cant these stupid guards leave him alone. He has fought on many a battle field yet here in the castle he is hounded like he cant even wipe his own arse. “As you can see I am fine, the prisoner is giving me no trouble at all. He is currently unconscious. May I ask who sent you?” 

The captain tries to peak around the prince but is blocked by the tall royals body. “I was sent by adviser Imayoshi, he is concerned for your safety my prince. The prisoner is a filthy criminal, know for killing his victims mercilessly, he may present a danger to you”

Daiki grits his teeth and takes a stride forward to glare at the captain. “Listen up Captain. I am more than capable of handling one man. I have killed hundreds in battle and I don’t need you or that pompous ass Imayoshi butting in to my private life. What I do with the prisoner is none of your concern” 

The blond guard captain scowls at him but bows respectfully. “Yes your highness, my deepest apologies” 

The prince doesn’t bother to respond and just shuts the door in the other mans face. He let’s out a frustrated sigh and turns back to his bed chambers. The first thing to draw his attention is the red head who had now role onto his side and curled into a ball. As Daiki got closer to the bed he noticed that the man was shivering from the cold. He frowned and grabbed a thick blanket from the end of the bed and carefully placed it over the slave so that his whole body was covered. Glancing around the room realised that the fire had dwindled and he quickly goes about adding kindling to increase the heat from the fire place. 

Soon enough the room warms and as the prince is about to call for a servant to fill his bath another knock comes from the door. Daiki hopes it’s a servant, he really doesn’t want to deal with any more royal crap for tonight. He strides to the door and roughly pulls it open, and as soon as he does he is suddenly pounced upon, small arms wrap around his waist and squeeze him tightly. 

“Satsuki what the hell are you doing?”. The prince balks as his adopted sister embraces him. The pink haired princess, who is overly energetic as usual, tightens her grip around his middle squeezing the air out of his lungs. She just about reaches his arm pits in height and looks up at him resting her chin on his chest.

“Dai-chan! I was so worried. When I heard that you had taken the Red Tiger, I was scared. I’ve been told about all the terrible things he has done and I don't want him hurting you. Get rid of him!” She practically cries into his chest.

Daiki sighs and hugs her. Satsuki was constantly worrying about him and was always trying to keep him safe. She would try to stop him from joining battles or even annoying the guards in fear that he would get hurt. He pats her gently on the head and smiles at her. “Satsuki, I’m completely fine and Tiger is not the monster everyone says he is, he has been nothing but obedient since he was brought here” 

The princess pulls away from him and looks around the room. “Really? Can I see him, I’m never aloud to court so I don’t get to see criminals brought in by the guards” She then looks up at him pleadingly.   
Rubbing his forehead Daiki gives in. “Okay, but be quite. He’s asleep at the moment and I don’t want you waking him" 

Satsuki nods enthusiastically and puts a finger over her mouth to indicate she will remain silent. Daiki nods and leads her to his bed chamber. As they quietly enter the room he spots that Tiger has completely wrapped himself in the blanket, only his red locks were peaking out. He smiles warmly and turns to Satsuki and whispers. “Wait here”. She nods to him. 

Slowly he approaches the side of the bed and sees that Tiger has a tight grip of the blanket in his bound hands. He carefully loosens the slaves grip and pulls the blanket back to reveal the mans sun kisses shoulders and chest. The man let’s out a low groan of protest but doesn’t move or wake. He waits a moment then looks to Satsuki and silently waves her over. 

The princess tip toes around to the bed and looks upon the bound red haired man, her eyes wide in amazement. She points to the blanket, silently asking to see more. Daiki roles his eyes and pulls the blanket further down, just above the mans hips, exposing his back and stomach. Satsuki reaches her hand out to touch a large scar that crosses the slaves shoulder and back, but stops just inches from his flesh and looks to her brother questioningly. He smiles and nods but mouths ‘gentle'. Satsuki smiles back and softly runs her finger over the scar on his shoulder and her eyes widen at the rough texture of his skin. 

Taiga shivers as the warmth that had surrounded him was slowly taken away. In his sleep fogged mind he was enjoying the feeling of being upon something soft, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt so comfortable. When the warmth was slowly removed he let out a groan of protest but didn’t want to move for fear of waking up fully. It was only when he felt a hand upon his shoulder was he thrust back into reality and snapped his eyes open. He was instantly brought back to reality when his gaze landed upon the dark skinned prince who was now his master. He tried to process what was going on and remembered being made to take the wooden phallus and then shortly after passed out. Shit he was surely going to get punished for that. As he stared at his master for a moment he realised that there was another person stood close by and that they were the one that had their hand on his shoulder.

Daiki tensed as he saw Tigers red eyes open and dart around as he processed where he was. As his gaze set upon Satsuki, who had jumped back in surprise of the slave waking. He watched for a moment as the bound man bolted upright and winced in pain, his red eyes focused solely up him. The prince stepped in front of Satsuki, blocking her from any potential attack but as he continued to watch the slave he realised that the red head was starting to panic. His chest tightened as he watched the man scramble off the bed and landed on the floor with a painfully loud thump. 

The princess behind him gripped his bicep and let out a high pitched squeal in surprise. The slave pulled his knees underneath himself and bowed low to the floor hiding his face. “I’m sorry Master! I didn’t mean to pass out. Please... I...” The mans begging was muffled by his position. “I accept any punishment you wish to inflict upon me". 

Now it made sense, Tiger thought he had angered the prince by falling unconscious. He obviously didn’t remember being told to rest. Daiki looked over his shoulder and taken aback by Satsuki’s look of shock. It seems as though she was not expecting this reaction from the slave. He still felt unsure by Tigers sheer brokenness and obedience. Stepping forward he crouches down and gently placed a hand on the slaves back and sighed when the man flinched in fear. “Its ok Tiger. You didn’t do anything wrong, I told you to get some rest" 

Taiga let’s out a deep breath and slowly glances up at his master, unsure by his calming words. He sees the small smile on the princes face and slightly relaxes. He truly didn’t remember being told to rest, and he only just realises that his arms are no longer bound behind his back by harsh rope. He looks back down and is surprised by the silk scarf that now ties his wrist together. Unsure by what to do he looks back up to the prince waiting for orders.

Daiki sighs and turns to his sister. “Satsuki can you leave us for a moment”. The princess nods and hurriedly leaves the room. 

Turning back to the slave he tries to smile again. “Come, can you stand?”. Tiger nods and uses his bound hands to push himself back onto his feet and slowly rises. Once fully stood Daiki realises that the slave is only a few inches shorter than himself and obviously holds more muscle. The red haired man looks back at the floor and hunches over to make himself look smaller, something the prince guesses is a method to look less threatening. Gently placing his hand on the mans elbow he gestures to the bed. “Sit on the bed" 

The red haired slave looks at the soft bed that he had been lay upon before he complies with his masters orders and turns to sit on the edge of the bed. He feels the sting in his rear as he sits down but manages to hide his discomfort. He still doesn’t know what to expect from this darkly tanned man. One moment he was demanding he ride that horrible wooden toy and now he was being gentle. He hated men like this that always had him edge. Still not knowing what to do Taiga simply looked at the floor hoping not to anger his master. 

For the first time ever Daiki didn’t know what to do with himself let alone a slave. In the past he had taken slaves, had his fun with them then discarded them to their fates. But this one was different, something about him seemed so familiar. Now looking at him sat on his bed, like a lamb awaiting slaughter, the prince had no idea what to do. He now knew that what ever he asked of this man, he would do it with out complaint, even if it caused himself unbearable pain. And something in Daiki told him to protect this red haired, scarred and broken man. He wasn’t sure what it was but he just knew he had to follow his instincts. He turned to Tiger and carefully asked “Are you hungry?”

Taiga scowled at the floor, he wasn’t just hungry he was starved. The last thing he had eaten was half a stale loaf of bread two days ago before he was captured by the guards. Slowly he lifted his gaze and nodded his head and as if to add to his situation his stomach angrily growled. He blushed and looked back to the floor. 

Daiki smiled and chuckled at the slaves growling stomach. “Ok I will just be a moment, stay here". His response was an small nod from the red head. The prince rose from the bed and walked out of the bed chambers. He spotted Satsuki who was now sat on the lavish red sofa that was in the centre of the lounge room, she was fiddling with one of her gold earrings. As soon as she spotted him she stood and looked at him worriedly.

“Is everything ok? He looked so scared. I never expected him to act like that”. She was practically vibrating nervous energy as she spoke quickly.

The prince put his hand on her shoulder and gave a light reassuring squeeze. “He’s ok Satsuki. Just very scared and broken. I’m not sure what had happened to him but I’m guessing from his scars and how he acts he was a slave for a long time. I want to find out more about him because I’m not convinced he is the thieving murderer everyone seems to think he is”

Satsuki looks at him with a sad expression and then glances back at the bed chamber door. “Is there anything I can do to help” She asks forlornly.

Daiki thinks for a moment then responds. “He has just told me he is hungry and looking at him I don’t think he has eaten for a while. Can you go to the kitchens and have a decent meal sent for him”

Satsuki gives him a beaming smile at being able to help and nods enthusiastically. “Of course Dai-chan! I’ll go right away" She gave him a quick hug then ran out of the main door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww Satsuki is such a good influence on Daiki xD
> 
> I want to say a huge thank you to every one who has commented and left Kudos on this fic. I can't say how much they help me keep writing. I hope you all continue to support my fic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay I finally finished the next chapter o(≧∇≦o)!!
> 
> I won't keep you, Please enjoy!!

The prince chuckled at his sisters enthusiasm it was one of the things he loved about her. Sighing he turned back to his bed chamber and walked inside. Tiger hadn’t moved an inch and was still staring at the floor.

Taiga waited until the prince left the room before he picked his head up and looked around the lavish bed chamber. He was surprised by it’s simple beauty, the room itself was large and had several stained glass windows that were surrounded by long dark blue satin curtains. At the far end of the room directly opposite the bed was a huge carved marble fireplace, around the room were various wooden furniture, mostly dressers and wardrobes. In the centre of the floor was the Persian rug that he was overly familiar with and the bed he was sat on was huge, he was sure it would easily fit 10 men his size comfortably. 

Outside he could hear his master speaking with the pink haired woman who had been touching him a mere ten minutes ago, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. When the prince asked him if he was hungry he had tried not to get his hopes up but he really wished for some food. He was brought out of his musing when he heard the large main door open and close, he snapped his gaze back to the floor anticipating his masters return. 

Soon enough he heard the foot falls of the prince enter the room and cross the open space until he was stood right in front of him. Taiga took a deep breath and waited for his masters next move. But instead of speaking the prince sat down beside him, the bound red head tilted his head slightly to see what the tanned man was doing. His entire body tensed when he saw the dagger in the princes hand and stared at it in fear. 

Daiki had grabbed a fresh apple from the tray of fruit as he had made his way back to the bed and sat down next to the slave. He pulled out his dagger and felt the red haired man tense, he slowly showed the slave the apple and cut it in half and then in half again. “Here, have a bit of this" He held out the piece of apple to the redhead.

Taiga stare at the apple slice for a moment before he tentatively reached out with bound hands and took a hold of the offered food. He looked up at the princes face and was given a small smile. Swallowing a lump of nerves from his throat, slowly he raise the apple to his lips and took a small bite. He let out a small moan of pleasure at the fantastic taste that exploded in his mouth, the apple was so juicy and sweet he couldn’t stop himself from shoving the rest of the slice in his mouth and savour the taste.  
The prince couldn’t help but grin at the sight of the slave enjoying the apple and held out another slice for him. Tiger practically snatched the slice of apple and shoved it in his mouth like it was the last thing he would ever eat. Daiki held back the rest of the apple and watched as the slave focused his gaze on it, his eyes betraying his hunger. Just as he was about to speak there was a light knock from the main door and Daiki saw how the slave jolted in surprise. Knowing it was Satsuki with more food the prince stood and walked to the door. 

The red head snapped his head over to door and stared at it in anxiety. He hated the feeling of fear that welled in his chest, not knowing who was on the other side of the door and not knowing if they were here to take him away to an even worse fate. So far his new master had been very kind and he was more than willing to do anything the man asked in order to please him. He hoped that who ever was at the door wasn’t here for him.

The prince opened the door and scowled at the sight in front of him. Satsuki was stood holding a tray of delicious looking food but behind her was Wakamatsu. The princess looked apologetically up at him but remained silent. Glaring at the guard captain he growled. “What do you want Wakamatsu. I thought I told you to leave me in peace” 

The guard captain gave him a sneer of anger but kept himself in check. “My apologies your highness, I was informed by the princess you required food and was ordered by adviser Imayoshi to come and see the prisoner” 

That fucking interfering twat of an adviser could go fuck himself. He didn’t miss how the guard captain had emphasized the word ordered and in some small way felt sorry for the blond guard. But not enough to allow him into his chambers. “I’m not allowing you to see him captain, take my word for it he is fine and I am having no problems with him. Tell Imayoshi, if he wants to know about him then he should come himself. Now please leave” 

Stepping aside slightly he gestures to Satsuki to go inside, she quickly shuffles into his chambers as Wakamatsu opens his mouth to protest but thinks better of it and bows at the waist before turning to leave. Daiki shuts the door and rubs his forehead in annoyance. Satsuki speaks up as soon as the door is closed. “I’m so sorry Dai-chan. I tried to get him to leave but he wouldn’t listen to me"   
Daiki smiles at her and places a reassuring hand on he shoulder. “Its ok Satsuki, that bastard Imayoshi is constantly trying to piss me off and uses Wakamatsu as a tool to do so, poor sod. Anyway what have you food have you brought?” 

Satsuki grins and holds the tray of food out for inspection. “Sakurai helped me pick out the best of the cooks food. I’ve got roasted chicken breast, teriyaki pork, steamed rice, a mix of grilled vegetables and some fresh strawberry tarts for dessert. Do you think he will like it" 

The princes smiled and nodded. “Yes I think he will enjoy all of it, thank you Satsuki. I’m going to take it to him now” The princess smiles widely and hands him the trauma of food. She places a kiss on the his cheek.  
“Give that to the Tiger for me wont you, I know he is still scared so I wont go in with you" She kisses him again on the other cheek and slips out of the door.

Daiki laughs and shakes his head, that girl could brighten up even the darkest of places with her energy. With a final glance at the closed door he turns and head back into his bed chambers. When he looks at the bed his chest tightens as he realizes that Tiger is not where he left him and there is no immediate sight of him. He quickly strides across the room, careful not to drop any food, and goes to the bed. He sighs when he sees that the slave has slipped back onto the floor at the side of the bed and is in a prostrate kneeling position with his head bowed to the cold stone ground. He sighs again and feels his head start to ache, he whispered a curse and places the tray of food on the end of the bed. 

“Tiger, sit up" he orders with a slight bite to his voice. He doesn’t want to get angry at the slave but he can feel his patience starting to strain. The slave instantly follows his command but doesn’t look up at him. “I don’t remember telling you to kneel on the floor, the last thing I told you to do was sit on the bed. Are you going to start disobeying me Tiger?” 

The red head feels a shiver run down his spine at the harsh words. While his master had been out of the room, Taiga heard the familiar voice of the blond guard that had dragged him threw the castle and was overwhelmed by fear. Pure instinct had made him slip onto the floor and curl up into a ball. He mentally cursed himself for disobeying his master, he unconsciously bowed again and replied. “I’m sorry Master! I didn’t mean to disobey I swear. I wont do it again, please forgive me!” 

The prince clenched his jaw and took a deep breath, he had to keep calm. “Look at me and tell me why you disobeyed? Tell me truthfully and you will be fine” 

The slave slowly sat back up and looked at up at the prince. He tried to keep his voice steady as he answered. “I... I was scared Master. I heard the guard at your door, the one that brought me here. I was afraid he was here to take me away again". Taiga mentally cursed himself again for the quivering in his voice. 

Daiki felt his heart clench for the umpteenth time today. He could truly say now that he wanted to help this pitiful man, something about his broken soul made the prince want to fix him. He wanted to see those red eyes light up and to see him stand tall full of confidence. He made his mind up now, no one would hurt his Tiger again. He looked into the red heads eyes and smiled warmly as he bent down and gently took a hold of the mans bound hands. “Come stand up" 

Tiger followed his lead and rose to his feet slightly unsteady, Daiki pointed to the bed and said “sit". Again the slave did as he was told, never taking his eyes of his masters. Keeping hold of the red heads hand he squeezed reassuringly as he sat down next to the slave. “Thank you for being honest Tiger. I promise you no one will take you from me. You don’t need to be scared”

The red head looked at the prince feeling confused, he didn’t know how to respond or what to do. He didn’t know if his master was telling him this to lull him into a security or if he was being genuine. He hoped for the latter, having been at the mercy of a master who had loved to play mind games, Taiga prayed to which ever deity that was listening that he didn’t have to suffer through that again. He suddenly picked up on the scent of fresh food and glanced behind the prince, there sat on the end of the bed was a silver tray with a lid over it, it was the obvious sources of the mouth watering scent. His stomach rumbled again and he felt his cheeks warm up in embarrassment. 

Daiki blinked then laughed at the loud rumble that came from the blushing red head. “Ah I almost forgot". Turning his upper body he griped the tray and pulled it over so that it was situated between them. He then removed the lid and watches as the red heads eyes widened in surprised and then stared at the large amount of food with longing. He smiled and pushed the tray closer to the slave. “Go ahead, eat” 

Taiga stared at the food and almost didn’t hear the price speak. He glanced up at the tanned mans face in shock, surely this lavish meal couldn’t be for him. He continued to look into the princes eyes, waiting for that moment before he was laughed at and the food be pulled away. His master frowned at him after a long moment. “Its ok Tiger. Eat please" That was all it took before the red head dived in and filled both hands with food not bothering to know what it was he was taking hold of and shoved it into his mouth. He only chewed a few times before swallowing the large mouthful and repeated not taking the time to savour the taste or texture of what he was eating.

Daiki was stunned for a moment by the ferocity of which the slave ate. He was devouring mouthful after mouthful with barley taking the time to breath. Fearing that Tiger would choke himself or over load his stomach with his eagerness for the food, the prince pulled the tray of remaining food away from the slave. For a split second it looked like the red would protest but he just looked at his master forlornly and looked at the bed as his shoulders slumped. “Tiger, I’m not taking it away from you. You just need to slow down or your going to make yourself sick” 

The slave looked back up to him with blush tinted cheeks. “I’m sorry Master" He mumbled softly. 

Daiki sighed and pushed the tray back to the end of the bed. He needed to change positions because his back was starting to ache from sitting with his spine twisted. He stood up and grabbed a several cushions and piled them up behind the red head who was looking extremely confused. “Right, sit back against those cushions and stretch your legs out along the bed”. Tiger still looked puzzled but did as he was told, with some awkward shuffling he managed to sit with his back resting against the cushions and his legs stretched out along the bed.

Taiga relaxed into the plush pillows and almost moaned at their comfort against his stiff back. He actually closed his eyes and allowed himself to sink back into the cushions, he was so lost in the feeling he hadn’t even notice his master move to the other side of the bed and take a similar position. He only realizes when he feels a gentle hand brush against his arm and opens his eyes to see that the prince is now propped up against his own pile of pillows but is more on his side facing the red head, with the tray of food in between them. 

The red head slave has never experienced anything like this so doesn’t know if he should speak or do something. He is about to open his mouth to ask a question when his blue haired master picks up a piece of grilled chicken and lifts it to the Taiga’s lips. The red head stares at the offered food for second before tentatively opening his mouth. The chicken is carefully placed on his tongue as the prince says “There, now take your time". And Taiga does, he slowly chews the tender meat and can finally taste the amazing flavour. He closes his eyes again and enjoys the moment of the tender chicken in his mouth, he reluctantly swallows when he can no longer justify chewing it any longer. 

The prince smiles and as the red heads eyes are close he chooses a bit of teriyaki pork, the sticky sauce covers his finger tips but he doesn’t mind. Tiger swallows his current mouthful and opens his eyes again to glance back at the prince. “Here try this, Teriyaki is one of my favourites”. He lifts the piece of pork to the red heads pink lips and once again his mouth slowly opens, carefully he places the piece of meat onto the slaves tongue and as he does the bound man closes his lips around his fingers and sucks of the lingering sticky sauce. Daiki instantly feels his gut tighten in arousal at the moan of pleasure Tiger let’s out at the taste. Fuck. He takes a deep breath and pushes all thoughts of ravishing this gorgeous man out of his head and focuses on the task at hand. 

  
It takes them a while to get through all the food on the tray and they had to stop a few times in order for the prince to help the slave take a drink of water. When Taiga swallows the last mouthful of food he feels himself completely relax against the cushions, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt this full and having a full stomach was making him sleepy. He was trying his hardest to keep his eyes open but the more he tried the more exhausted he felt. He heard his master remove the now empty tray and he didn’t even have the strength to lift his head to see what the man was doing. He felt a couple of cushions being removed from behind him so that he was left almost laying down. The red head managed to let out a questioning groan. 

  
Daiki smiled as Tiger was struggling to stay awake, he was happy to see the slave so relaxed. He carefully removed a couple of cushions that kept the red head sat up and eased him into a laying position. The slaves groaned and the prince chuckled. “Go to sleep Tiger, your safe now. I won’t let anything hurt you. I promise" 

  
Taiga heard the princes words and for the first time in years he felt safe. He didn’t know why his new master was so kind to him but he would give anything to stay here with this man. As he finally allowed himself to drift of in to sleep he whispered. “Thank you"  
The prince was over come by a warm feeling that filled his chest. He didn’t know how this strange man who he had only just met less than 24 hours ago had some how made him feel things he had never felt before. He wanted to protect him, he wanted to see him smile and he wanted to stay here, watching his Tiger sleep. As the man began to lightly snore Daiki leaned forward and lightly places his lips on the slaves forehead. The red haired man turns his head into the princes kiss and let’s out an adorable little sigh. The tanned prince pulls the warm blanket over the sleeping man and makes sure to tuck it tightly around him. 

  
Quietly Daiki climbs off the bed and walks silently towards his bath chamber. He quickly relieves himself and has a quick wash with a cloth and soap. Shortly after he changes into his night wear, soft silk dark blue robe and long silk trousers in the same shade of blue. He returns to the bed chamber and smiles when he sees that Tiger has rolled onto his side and has some how managed to grab Daiki’s pillow and is hiding his face into it. The prince stoles to the bed and carefully climbs onto the right side next to his slave. Slowly he pries the pillow from the red head and places it back where it should be, Tiger let out a slight protesting whine but is placated when Daiki slips into its place. The slave snuggles closer to his master and rests his head upon the princes shoulders as he settles into a deeper sleep. The blue haired prince wraps his own arms around the sleeping man and closes his eyes as he follows into sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awe!!!! I actually cried while writing this. Dai-chan is secretly a giant softie and Taiga has defiantly won his heart. 
> 
> I want to say a huge THANK YOU!!! to everyone who has left me such encoragine and great comments and to everyone who has left me Kudos. I'm sorry I haven't replied to comments please know I appreciate each and every one. 
> 
> Thank you all again, I'm already working on the next chapter and will get it out as soon as I can.   
> （⌒▽⌒ゞ


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys sorry for the long wait and the shortness of this chapter, I my laptop crashed and I lost every thing I had originally written for this chapter and chapter 6 T_T, and it took me a while to find the motivation to rewrite it. 
> 
> I want to give a big thank you to everyone who has left comments and Kudos. 
> 
> Hopefully I'll be able to finish the next chapter a lot sooner.

Cawing of crows could be heard from the thin window panes. Taiga groaned as he slowly came back to the world of the living, he must still be dreaming because he felt warm and full. He was used to waking on a cold stone floor with painfully empty stomach. With his red eyes still closed he attempted to stretch out his stiff limbs, but as he moved slightly his legs bumped into something solid and he couldn’t move his arms. He immediately felt a grip of panic and snapped open his eyes. He was greeted by the sight of a dark tanned chest and the memory’s of the day before crashed into his head. 

Images flashed through Taiga’s head and almost left him breathless. He was once again a slave, a toy for someone to play with, to hurt, to fuck. He couldn’t do this again, he couldn’t suffer the pain and humiliation again. He would rather die than be put through endless torture for the sake of some sick prince’s amusement. As he tried desperately to control his breathing the arms around him tightened their grip, a low groan escaped his masters throat indicating that the man was waking. Taiga scrunched his eyes closed and felt his chest tighten. He couldn’t panic now, he had to remain compliant or he would be in for a painful punishment.

Daiki’s mind was foggy as he slowly began to wake. He could just about make out the usual chorus of crows outside his window and the warmth of his bed mate against his chest. His blue eyes snapped open as he remembered yesterday’s events, he was greeted by the deep red locks of his new slave as the mans face was hidden under his chin. For a moment he thought that the slave was still sleeping but then he felt the large form tremble slightly and could even hear his heart rapidly beating inside his chest. The Prince scrunched his brow in confusion, surely the red head remembered last nights promise. He took in a deep breath to keep himself calm and softly addressed the bound man. “Good morning Tiger, I trust you slept well” 

Taiga’s mind was running at a lightning speed, all of last nights kind treatment had been over shadowed by memories from long ago. He wasn’t seeing the kind prince that spoke softly to him, that fed him, gave him warmth and comfort. No he was seeing his old master, some how his brain was trapped in the past, from when he was at the mercy of the most cruel man in the entire country. Some how waking in the tanned prince’s arms had triggered one of his worst memories. Not being in control of himself Taiga simply remained frozen, his muscles twitching rapidly in anticipation, his mind shut down and he awaited the painful punishment that would follow.

The strange reaction from his slave had Daiki instantly worried, he pulled himself away from the bound man’s body and sat up. Tiger remained motionless as he lay on his side, eyes closed tightly and his body shaking. What the hell was going on? The prince gently placed his hand on the sun kissed shoulder and cursed when the red head jolted away from his touch. He grit his teeth in frustration and took in a deep breath. It seemed that the slave was trapped inside some form of memory, he had seen this happen to solders that had suffered grievous injuries on the battle field. Slowly he gripped the man’s shoulders again and this time gently pushed so that Tiger rolled onto his back. He needed to ground the man’s mind and bring him back to the present. 

Once he had the slave on his back, the prince maneuvered himself so that he was kneeling at the red heads side. Tiger hadn’t resisted being rolled onto his back, his eyes were still tightly closed and his muscles still twitched involuntarily. Daiki gently placed his hand on the red heads cheek as whispered softly. “Tiger, open your eyes and look at me. I’m not gonna hurt you come on, it’s ok”

The slave heard the soft words through his clouded mind and forced himself to obey. Slowly his red eyes flickered open and he was greeted by the handsome features of his new master. His tanned features were relaxed and he didn’t seem angry with him. Taiga still felt his head aching as that dark part of his brain was trying to drag him back under. Just as his eyes were about to close again the Prince spoke again.

“That’s it Tiger, keep looking at me. Now I need you to tell me, do you know where you are?” Daiki made sure to keep his voice as soft as possible as to not scare the slave back into his regression.

Taiga took a few moments to process the words and had to think intensely about the answer. Where was he? He knew he wasn’t in Fukuda, he had escaped from there over a year ago. He wasn’t in that abandoned old barn that barely offered shelter from the cold. 

He was... Like being struck by a lightning bolt all the recent events flooded his mind. He was in Toouo, he had been caught by the Royal guards and brought before the King for sentencing. The Prince had taken him as his slave. The tanned man that was looking down at him was his new master and he had been a kind one at that. Apart from their initial meeting where the Prince had forced him to take that phallus, every thing that followed had been surprisingly unpainful, if anything it had been pleasant. He had been carefully cleaned, those painful ropes had been removed and replaced by soft silk, he had been well fed and had even been aloud to sleep in a warm and comfortable bed. 

Finally he was coming out of his trauma induced haze and found the strength to finally answer his master. “I-I’m in y-your chambers master, in Toouo” His voice was slightly rough from his shaking nerves. “I’m sorry master, please forgive me” He pleaded without even knowing what he was apologising for.

The Prince breathed out a sigh of relief, he had panicked for a moment that the red haired slave had completely broke. Daiki ran his thumb over the slaves cheek again and made a low hushing sound. “Its ok, Tiger. You have done nothing wrong, can you tell me what happened there” 

Taiga tilted his head into his masters hand and his chest filled with a warmth he had never felt before. The red head couldn’t remember the last time another person showed him such kindness, yet here he was once again a slave and instead of being beaten and raped he was wrapped in warm blankets with a full stomach. He still didn’t know if this was all an act but he desperately hoped that it wasn’t. He really didn’t want to reveal his past to the handsome Prince, but as his slave he had no choice. Taiga barely whispered his answer. “I’m sorry, I-I remembered my old master, h-he.... used too...”

“Hush... you don’t have to tell me if its too painful to remember Tiger” Daiki had noticed that the slave was at risk of slipping again so he halted the man from reliving his worst memories. The red head had obviously been through hell, his demeanour and scars were more than enough to tell the Prince all he needed to know. Before the tanned royal could speak again a loud banging from his door interrupted him. Tiger instantly tensed and looked at him with fearful eyes. “Don’t worry, I will get rid of who ever it is. Stay here, its going to be ok” 

Daiki removed the thick blankets that were covering him and swung his long legs from the bed. Before he moved he made sure that the blankets were snugly tucked around his red head to keep him warm. The slave still looked scared but he remained still, all that was showing was his head that peered over the blankets. The Prince grabbed his dark blue silk robe from the nearest dresser and flung it over his shoulders as he strode to the door. Once he was out of his bed chamber he made sure to reattach his dagger to his calf strap that was hidden under his pants. 

Once he was stood by his chamber doors he waited a moment for the person behind it to knock again. He strongly suspected it was Wakamatsu again, disturbing him under Imayoshi orders. Daiki heard the loud bang on his door again and just as he was about unlock it himself a key was turned from the other side and the large wooden door was pushed open. The Prince glared as the man who entered his rooms was the last person he wanted to see. “Imayoshi what the hell are you doing here! And how dare you let yourself self in here with out my permission” 

The lanky adviser jumped in surprised as the tall Prince shouted the moment he stepped into the room. He wasn’t expecting the heir to the throne to be stood right behind the door. It took him a second to compose himself before his features returned to his usual face smile. He bowed at the waist and softly spoke. “My deepest apologies my Prince. I personally came to check you were alright, Captain Wakamatsu informed me you would not permit him to see the prisoner” 

Daiki had to hold himself back from growling at the annoying man in front of him. He was worried this would happen. “That is true and I will tell you the exact thing I told him. My personal life is none of your business. My father granted me control of the prisoner and what I do with him doesn’t concern you or anyone else” He was so tempted to grab a hold of his dagger and slit the annoying man’s throat.

Imayoshi held back a sigh of frustration, he had hoped the Prince would have his fun with the red haired criminal or that he piss off the tall royal to the point where he would hand him over with out a fuss. This certainly wouldn’t go down well. “My Prince, you must understand that man is a danger to you and everyone in the castle, its in everyone’s best interest if you send him to the dungeon” Grey eyes widened as the adviser was suddenly grabbed by the collar of his robes and forced back against the door with an angry Prince only inches away from his face. 

The moment the word dungeon had left the dark haired man’s lips Daiki had acted without thinking. He grabbed the adviser and pushed him up against the door, forcing the heavy piece of wood to slam shut with the force. He glared directly into the man’s eyes and roared. “HE IS MINE!, no one can tell me what to do with my slave. His fate is mine alone to decide. I don’t care how dangerous he is or who wants him dead. He his mine!” With those last words said the prince grabbed a hold of the door handle with his free hand and yanked it open. With movement as swift as a panther he launched the adviser out of his room. “If you know what’s good for you, stay away from here. And if you send one of you little minions I will kill them” 

The prince watched as Imayoshi landed on his ass with a thud before slamming the door shut and angrily twisting the lock. For extra security he pulled across the heavy dead bolt that was to only be used in time of a seize on the castle. He growled as he stepped away from the door and had to bite his bottom lip to keep himself from screaming in anger. How dare that pompous ass tell him what to do! The slit eyed bastard was lucky to still be alive. 

From inside the bed chamber Taiga had heard every word from both his master and Imayoshi, who ever that was. When he heard the stranger say he should be sent to the dungeon the red head instantly began to shake with fear. Then the prince had roared his ownership of him and from the sounds he could hear it seemed as though his master had thrown the stranger out of the door. Since arriving at the castle Taiga had never heard the prince sound so frightening and the words that rang in his ears sent shivers down his spine. Unable to move Taiga stared at the end of the bed and waited for his master to return, the longer he stared the deeper he sank back into his head until he was once again lost in his inner turmoil.

After pacing the entry to his chambers for several long minutes Daiki finally calmed himself. He still wanted to go out there and remove Imayoshi’s spine but knew doing that would only anger his father and the whole court. Right now he had more to worry about than that snivelling advisor. Taking in a deep breath, the prince turned to his bed chambers and walked through the door. When he looked to his bed he was glad to see that Tiger had followed his order and had remained where he had left him. But as he moved closer to he bed he quickly realized that some thing was wrong. It only took him a moment to realize that his slave had once again regressed into his mind and was probably freaking out. Shit.

Slowly Daiki moved to the bed and sat down in front of the red head and took his still bound hands into his own. “Tiger, look at me” He spoke firm yet softly. It took a moment but Tiger’s gaze moved from the end of the bed to look him in the eyes. “Well done, I take it you heard everything Imayoshi and I said” The only response he got was a nod. “I meant what I said Tiger. You're mine. Mine to protect, mine to care for. I don’t believe a word that they have said about you, I know you aren’t a dangerous murderer and I doubt you would hurt someone who didn’t deserve it”

It took a few moments for the words to sink in but Taiga eventually processed what his master had just said. He blinked a few times as he felt his entire body relax. For the first time in years a small fire light up inside his heart. “Thank you”. We’re the only words that he was able to force from his lips along with a small smile.

Daiki’s eyes widened as he was sure he saw a small spark shoot across Tiger’s red eyes. It seemed as though he was finally breaking through that broken shell that surrounded the scarred slave and was reaching the man that was buried underneath years of pain


End file.
